Isaiah 39-40

Isaiah 39-40New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

Envoys from Babylon Welcomed

39 At that time King Merodach-baladan son of Baladan of Babylon sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 Hezekiah welcomed them; he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say? From where did they come to you?” Hezekiah answered, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” 4 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”

5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 Days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your ancestors have stored up until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord. 7 Some of your own sons who are born to you shall be taken away; they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”

God’s People Are Comforted

40 Comfort, O comfort my people,says your God.2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,and cry to herthat she has served her term,that her penalty is paid,that she has received from the Lord’s handdouble for all her sins.

3 A voice cries out:“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,make straight in the desert a highway for our God.4 Every valley shall be lifted up,and every mountain and hill be made low;the uneven ground shall become level,and the rough places a plain.5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,and all people shall see it together,for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

6 A voice says, “Cry out!”And I said, “What shall I cry?”All people are grass,their constancy is like the flower of the field.7 The grass withers, the flower fades,when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;surely the people are grass.8 The grass withers, the flower fades;but the word of our God will stand forever.9 Get you up to a high mountain,O Zion, herald of good tidings;[a]lift up your voice with strength,O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,[b]lift it up, do not fear;say to the cities of Judah,“Here is your God!”10 See, the Lord God comes with might,and his arm rules for him;his reward is with him,and his recompense before him.11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd;he will gather the lambs in his arms,and carry them in his bosom,and gently lead the mother sheep.

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his handand marked off the heavens with a span,enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure,and weighed the mountains in scalesand the hills in a balance?13 Who has directed the spirit of the Lord,or as his counselor has instructed him?14 Whom did he consult for his enlightenment,and who taught him the path of justice?Who taught him knowledge,and showed him the way of understanding?15 Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket,and are accounted as dust on the scales;see, he takes up the isles like fine dust.16 Lebanon would not provide fuel enough,nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering.17 All the nations are as nothing before him;they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

18 To whom then will you liken God,or what likeness compare with him?19 An idol? —A workman casts it,and a goldsmith overlays it with gold,and casts for it silver chains.20 As a gift one chooses mulberry wood[c]—wood that will not rot—then seeks out a skilled artisanto set up an image that will not topple.

21 Have you not known? Have you not heard?Has it not been told you from the beginning?Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,and spreads them like a tent to live in;23 who brings princes to naught,and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.

24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,when he blows upon them, and they wither,and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

25 To whom then will you compare me,or who is my equal? says the Holy One.26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:Who created these?He who brings out their host and numbers them,calling them all by name;because he is great in strength,mighty in power,not one is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,and speak, O Israel,“My way is hidden from the Lord,and my right is disregarded by my God”?28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God,the Creator of the ends of the earth.He does not faint or grow weary;his understanding is unsearchable.29 He gives power to the faint,and strengthens the powerless.30 Even youths will faint and be weary,and the young will fall exhausted;31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,they shall mount up with wings like eagles,they shall run and not be weary,they shall walk and not faint.

Sirach 1:16-29

Sirach 1:16-29New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

16 To fear the Lord is fullness of wisdom;she inebriates mortals with her fruits;17 she fills their[a] whole house with desirable goods,and their[b] storehouses with her produce.18 The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom,making peace and perfect health to flourish.[c]19 She rained down knowledge and discerning comprehension,and she heightened the glory of those who held her fast.20 To fear the Lord is the root of wisdom,and her branches are long life.[d]

22 Unjust anger cannot be justified,for anger tips the scale to one’s ruin.23 Those who are patient stay calm until the right moment,and then cheerfulness comes back to them.24 They hold back their words until the right moment;then the lips of many tell of their good sense.

25 In the treasuries of wisdom are wise sayings,but godliness is an abomination to a sinner.26 If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments,and the Lord will lavish her upon you.27 For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and discipline,fidelity and humility are his delight.

28 Do not disobey the fear of the Lord;do not approach him with a divided mind.29 Do not be a hypocrite before others,and keep watch over your lips.

Hebrews 1

Hebrews 1New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

God Has Spoken by His Son

1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,[a] whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. 3 He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains[b] all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

“In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,and the heavens are the work of your hands;11 they will perish, but you remain;they will all wear out like clothing;12 like a cloak you will roll them up,and like clothing[e] they will be changed.But you are the same,and your years will never end.”

13 But to which of the angels has he ever said,

“Sit at my right handuntil I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?

14 Are not all angels[f] spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

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